Nap of the Day: Kidman primed for Hexham success

There are four race meetings across Britain and Ireland on Monday, with afternoon Flat racing from Pontefract joined by a trio of National Hunt offerings from Hexham in the afternoon and Tramore and Warwick into the evening.

Monday's Nap of the Day was a real eyecatcher at Kelso last month for trainer Simon Waugh and is fancied to take advantage of a drop in class to shed his maiden tag at Hexham.

KIDMAN is taken to break his duck in the Horslyx - For Horse's Health & Welfare Handicap Chase for trainer Simon Waugh after a really promising effort at Kelso last time.

He's a nine-year-old but doesn't have major miles on the clock. He was consistent over hurdles, outside of the first three in just two of his seven runs in that discipline.

The best of those efforts came on decent ground, so it was perhaps worth marking up his run at Newcastle (2m½f, soft) back in January on his chasing bow.

He travelled well but just didn't find as much as had looked likely, though still only beaten 3½-lengths into fourth at the line.

Despite that promise, connections opted for a wind operation off the back of that run, and the impact appeared set to be immediate.

Kidman tackled a Class 3 handicap chase at Kelso on their Morebattle Hurdle card at the start of March and was in the process of running a big race before a mistake at the last.

Danny McMenamin manoeuvred his partner from the rear to thrust between rivals and come with what looked like a strong challenge between the final two obstacles.

14:48 Hexham Odds

They met the last well, but Kidman sprawled on the landing side, perhaps meeting some false ground on touching down, and his momentum was gone instantly, with McMenamin allowing him to come home in his own time.

Still, it has to go down as a noteworthy effort up to that point. The handicapper has eased him 2lb for his troubles, and he also gets an ease in class for this trip to Hexham.

He was mixing it with some useful sorts at Kelso but now meets a field of eight rivals all rated close to his equal or inferior.

None of them have a lot to recommend on recent showings, and this low-mileage Arcadio gelding has seemingly been found a perfect chance to go and shed his maiden tag on what is only the 10th racecourse start of his career.

He ran well in one hurdles start at Hexham (2m4f, good), finishing second, and the forecast conditions of 'good, good to soft in places' are also in his favour.

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